New York Rangers News: Brandon Mashinter Returned To Hartford, Nash Returning?
The New York Rangers have assigned forward Brandon Mashinter to the Hartford Wolfpack of the American Hockey League.
According to Andrew Gross of The Record, the New York Rangers have returned Brandon Mashinter to the Hartford Wolfpack of the American Hockey League. Mashinter appeared in six total games for the Rangers this season, and has been a healthy scratch for the last two games since Dominic Moore returned to action. This move obviously opens up a roster spot, which will likely go to Rick Nash as he is set to return to the lineup at some point this week.
Nash pointed out to the media yesterday that he is targeting either tomorrow's game against the Boston Bruins, or Thursday's game against the Dallas Stars as a possible return date. With Mashinter's demotion, the Rangers still have 12 healthy forwards, so it doesn't necessarily mean that Nash is a lock for tomorrow night but it's a sign that he is very close.
Nash did not skate on his own this morning, but it is worth noting that today was a complete off day for the team, as they just finished up a set of back-to-backs. Nash has also skated for the last nine days, and was expected to take a day of rest in between. That, combined with the today's demotion, leads me to believe that Nash will be ready to roll tomorrow night.
Thoughts?
